Very little lacing sitting above this the viscous appearing, dark brown colored brew. Nice aromas of dark fruits, toffee, molasses, coffee, and prunes. Thick chewy mouthfeel that is smooth and holds very little carbonation. Well balance of flavors with smoked malts, chocolate malt, tart old ale, toffee, buttery and just a hint of spice that is almost mint like. The finish is dry, earthy and the tart fruit, bready notes carry over at a mild level. Very tasty, highly recommended.

Nice complexity in the taste. A lot going on here. Something has to be said for a beer that is so balance. Not super adventurous for a porter, but nicely balanced, and the spces make this a nice holiday brew. Finish is with a moderately low hop bitterness that leaves a dryness on the palate.

Crisp carbonation and slight creaminess on the palate.

This is a simple beer to drink. Good for 40 degree weather. If It gets below 10, I'm going for something stronger.

I've read about their blight in recent years and I thought I'd help support the cause. Poured from the bottle into a pint glass, beer is a very dark, dark brown color - pretty much black, not much in the way of head. The smell is slightly chocolaty, sweet like raisins and prunes. The taste is very much the same, with the alcohol coming out only slightly. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with little carbonation. Very drinkable, not too heavy and is pretty enjoyable. Overall, this is an excellent winter porter .

A: Very dark but not thick like Guiness
S: Smells like chocolate and a little toffee
T: I paired this beer with chocolate covered pretzels and it was one of the best combos I have had. The sweetness of the beer was brought out with a smooth aftertaste.
M: Good, nice and smooth but the head wasn't as thick as I would have liked.
D: Perfect for a cold night with plenty of chocolate covered raisins or pretzels.

T&D = Well balanced, I am going to count off a little for a slight watery taste at mid palate but mostly I get good strong malt flavors of caramel, toffee with a balance from the hops that comes across like just slightly burnt toast. Does drink very easily, one of my more favorite English Porters.

Purchased because of the entertaining label, now looking forward to the other offerings by Ridgeway.

Nice pour; brown/black with (thin, darn) head that quickly dissipated. But a doughy malt nicely met my nose, along with some chocolates and coffee. Excellent quaff, with the aforementioned along with cinnamon and burnt toast.

On the sweet and light-bodied side, which by the end of the 500ml bottle, was thinning out a little too much. Still very smooth and drinkable, the 6% abv will not really slam you to the floor if one has a bottle or two. Ready for more.

Dark brown pour with some glints of purple light peeking throught the sides, topped off with khaki frothy head cap that quickly settles to a ring in my mini-nonic glass.

Deep roasted cocoa scents and dry biscuit. This is what a porter should smell like. Also has some vanilla twist and slightly vinous.

First swigs: Ok, so what does Santa's Butt taste like? I never thought I would answer that question but, slight dry cocoa and pancake. Some chocolate ice cream and stays focused on the well done vanilla porter flavor that lends to a creamy feel. Easy roasted maltsand the tiniest bit of citrous hints.

Soft plush carbonation. Medium body, with a middle of the road carbonation feel that leads to an easy drinkability. Smooth porter.

Last swigs: Gentle cocoa and cream. Curiosity about the label influenced trying this one, I'll admit, but seriously good. Thanks to Shapudding for the bottle.

I first discovered this beer several years ago while working for a store that excelled in featuring specialty beers. Since then, it's been a required part of Christmas time.

A - One-finger ecru head that's thick around the edge and foamy in the middle. It dissipates in about a minute to a thin film of lace across the surface. Very dark chocolate brown. Held up to a light, it's clear and a deep ruby red.

S - Lots of caramel and toasted malt in the nose. Smells like someone's getting ready to dip apples into a batch of melted caramels on the stove. Hints of vanilla. As it warms and the glass gets room to swirl, rasiny fruit tones emerge.

M - Some carbonation, but body leans toward the thin, watery side. Not much of a finish, but what remains invites another taste. This is perhaps its weakest attribute.

D - A classic English porter. Very drinkable. Flavors are delicious but restrained. Could easily enjoy several of these in a sitting. As a bonus, both the nose and the taste open up into additional fruit-based flavors as it warms in the glass. Most American porters are really junior stouts. This beer does a great job of showing off what it means to be a true porter.

First of all...great bottle label: Long live the first amendment! Hopefully the "authorities" in New York pull their heads out of their asses and worry about more important issues.

Appearance: Very little to no carbonation. In and of itself not a a big deal.

Aroma: Roasted malt with a small bit of cocoa aroma. I just reviewed "Lump of Coal" from this brewery last night, and it has nearly the same aroma with less spice or cherry character. Aromatically it seems like a stripped-down version of "Lump of Coal", in that it's not quite as complex. Less hops shine through as well than "Lump...".

Flavor: My first taste almost made my knees buckle. The second and third sips reveal a surprising and nicely balanced beer. Nothing overwhelming here, but still a solid interpretation of the style. A little hops nicely creep-in, but these fade quickly on the finish. This is one of those beers where understated flavors blend well to form an easy drinking beer with enough flavor to keep things interesting.

Mouthfeel: Awesome....crisp, clean, enough of an aftertaste to seduce multiple sips. "Tops" in this category.

Drinkability: This is truly a fine beer and was a bit of a surprise. I must say that if you're expecting something "wintery" or "christmasy" as the name suggests, you might be disappointed. Flat-out, this is nothing but a porter. Plain, yet glorious in its understated beauty.

This is going to be a quicky, since much the grey and white foamy head, it dissipates throughout.Observing, the dark pool I don't really detect much light or clarity. The foamy head that is produced from this beer is mostly grey and white with no lace. A waft of sweet mild citrus creeps across along with some roastedness blends together. Tasting it I detect roasted, licorice, and some mild chocolate & coffee. Overall mouthfeel is mild to medium.

Appears a pitch black tone at first with ruby highlights when held toward the light. Aroma is upfront with dark fruits and roasted malts a bit of chocolate coffee and mild cherry nice. Flavor has dark roasted malt flavor blended with a bit of Christmas spunk including dark fruits and other variables into the mix. Mouthfeel is medium bodied solid medium bodied even carbonation. Drinkability is solid all around solid drinking Christmas ale I look forward to more of.

date reviewed: 25 January 2013...glassware: Victory Hopdevil nonick...occasion: research paper grading, round one...appearance: jet black body that intimidates as only Santa can; off-white rim more like a dirty Santa...aroma: punchy peat malts--with some grassy, oaty--a bit of cornbread(?); this shouldn't diminish the effect....palate: smooth, weighty, active strength--drinkable but stern...taste: a scotch-like experience, with a dialed-down peat and ping--delightfully agreeable...overall: I recall this beer catching flak for its name and label; Santa's nothing if not humorous, so the State needs to take some soma and drink this; juvenile packaging aside, the beer is a medium-strength winter warmer that has me in a giving mood long after the holiday season...

Spotted a 1pt 9oz. bottle at Tiger Qwick Mart in Clemson, SC for around $5 and change, and I had to get it due to its unique label.

A: Pours a rich deep brown (almost black) color that produces a nice off-white color head that dissipates slowly leaving a nice lacing. Ruby highlights when held to light.

S: The nose is a little shy but it really shines when the temperature is perfect. Roasted malts are the dominating note, along with coffee, toffee, caramel, molasses, and dark fruits. Also, the hops make an appearance after a while, which makes this nose nice and balanced.

T: To be honest, I was expecting an aggressive and bold body/flavor combination, but it was restrained, which was not bad. The flavor profile is a little different than the nose suggested, being comprised of less roasted malts, more coffee/toffee, and a little more hoppy than the nose.